NE  OF  THE  TWO 

CHARLES  M.SHELDON 
IN  HIS  STEPS " 


o 

Xf" 

!/ 


OUT.   OF  CALIF-   LIBRAEY,,  LOS  AHGELES 


One  of  the  Two 


"  Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but 
overcome    evil     with    good." 


BY 

Charles  M.  Sheldon 

Author  of  "  In  His  Steps,"    "  The  Crucifixion  of  Philip 
Strong,"  etc.,  etc. 


Chicago  New  York  Toronto 

Fleming  H.  Revell  Company 

Publishers  of  Evangelical  Literature 


Copyright,  1898 

BY 

FLEMIHG  H.  RHVZLL  COMPANY 


ONE  OF  THE  TWO 


"  Be  not  overcome  of  evil,  but  overcome 
evil  with  good." 


PART  I 

The  Spirit  whose  business  it  is  to 
proclaim  the  birth  of  human  souls  once 
announced  the  following  message  to  the 
court  of  heaven  :  "A  new  soul  has  just 
been  born  on  earth." 

Instantly  the  King  of  Heaven  said: 
1 '  Who  will  volunteer  to  look  after  this 
soul  and  preserve  its  purity,  and  help  it 
to  grow  up  in  goodness  and  strength  ?" 

Then  the  most  lovely  being  in  all 
heaven  stood  up  and  said :  ' '  I  will  go. " 
This  being's  name  was  Good  Influence. 

5 


2 


6  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

His  form  was  that  of  an  angel,  and  his 
hand  was  that  of  a  mother;  and  the 
King  of  Heaven,  satisfied  with  this  vol- 
unteer, said :  ' '  Go;  and  do  battle  for 
this  new-born  soul."  So  the  bright 
being,  Good  Influence,  came  to  the 
earth  where  we  live. 

At  exactly  the  same  time  the  mes- 
senger, whose  business  it  is  to  announce 
the  birth  of  human  souls  to  the  court  of 
Hell,  proclaimed  in  the  same  words: 
"A  new  soul  has  just  been  born  on 
earth." 

Then  the  King  of  Hell  said:  "Who 
will  volunteer  to  look  after  this  soul, 
and  destroy  its  peace  and  purity  and 
help  to  make  it  another  creature  fit  for 
this  abode  of  darkness  ?" 

And  immediately  stood  up  the  ugliest 
being  in  all  Hell's  dominions  and  said: 
' '  I  will  go. " 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  7 

This  being's  name  was  Bad  Influence. 
His  brow  was  black  as  midnight,  his 
eye  glared  with  madness,  his  tongue 
dropped  venom.  His  form  was  the 
form  of  a  monster,  although  sometimes 
he  could  disguise  it  to  look  like  an  angel 
of  light,  and  his  hand  was  the  hand  of 
a  spider.  And  the  King  of  Hell,  well 
pleased  with  such  a  volunteer,  smiled 
grimly  and  said :  ' '  Go,  and  success  at- 
tend thee."  So  the  dark  being  called 
Bad  Influence  came  to  the  earth  where 
we  live.  - 

Now  it  chanced  that,  on  their  way  to 
this  new-born  soul,  these  two  spirits, 
one  an  Angel  and  the  other  a  Demon, 
fell  in  with  each  other.  Whereupon 
began  a  very  curious  conversation  be- 
tween them. 

"Where  art  thou  going?"  called  out 
Bad  Influence  to  Good  Influence,  who 


8  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

left  a  track  of  gleaming  white  behind 
him  as  he  glided  through  space. 

Then  the  Angel  drew  back  a  little 
from  the  Demon  and  said:  "I  am  on 
my  way  to  help  a  new-born  soul  on 
earth." 

"Just  where  I  am  going,"  grinned 
the  Demon.  "How  lucky!  Perhaps 
we  are  going  to  the  same  soul. " 

"Demon,"  replied  the  Angel,  ear- 
nestly, '  'I  trust  not.  However,  I  fear  me 
much  that  it  is  so.  What  is  the  name 
of  the  soul  to  whom  thou  art  going  ?" 

Then  the  Demon  told  him. 

"Alas  !  It  is  the  same  !"  cried  Good 
Influence,  sorrowfully.  ' '  But  why  dost 
thou  torment  this  soul  ?  Leave  it  to  me. " 

'  'Not  so, "  sneered  the  other.  '  'I  have 
as  much  right  to  it  as  thou  hast.  I  am 
sent  by  my  King." 

"And   I   by  mine,"    answered    the 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  9 

Angel.      ' '  But  what  good  will  it  do  thee 
to  win  this  soul?" 

"What  good?"  retorted  the  other. 
"Not  any  good  ;  but  I  shall  be  re- 
warded by  my  Master  and  have  a 
greater  place  in  his  kingdom. " 

' '  But  my  Master  has  sent  me  to  this 
soul  and  has  promised  me  a  large  re- 
ward if  I  win  it.  So  I  am  determined 
to  get  what  I  came  for. " 

"Get  it  if  thou  canst !"  replied  the 
Demon  with  a  contemptuous  sneer. 
' '  It  will  listen  to  me  much  quicker  than 
it  will  to  thee,  see  if  it  doesn't. " 

' '  Ah,  I  hope  not, "  cried  the  Angel, 
and  a  tear  fell  from  his  eye  that 
dropped  down  through  space  like  a  fall- 
ing star,  as  he  replied,  "Not  if  my 
prayers  and  my  tears  can  save  it  from 
thee." 

' '  Much  good  may  prayers  and  tears 


10  ONE    OP    THE    TWO 

do !"  said  the  Demon  derisively. 
' '  Come,  what  wilt  thou  wager  that  at 
the  end  of  twenty-one  years  this  soul 
is  mine  ?" 

Then  the  Angel  of  Light  confronted 
the  Demon  of  Darkness  and  said, 
sternly:  "We  will  have  no  unholy  bar- 
gains nor  wagers  in  this  matter.  Already 
do  I  look  upon  this  new-born  soul  as 
mine  own.  Thou  art  but  an  evil  meddler 
in  this  matter." 

"Nevertheless,  I  am  more  powerful 
than  thou  art,"  said  Bad  Influence, 
' '  and  I  give  thee  warning  that  I  shall 
count  this  soul  mine  from  the  very 
start." 

1 '  And  I  give  the  warning, "  replied 
Good  Influence,  ' '  that  I  am  thine 
enemy  in  everything  thou  doest  in  the 
place  where  we  are  going.  This  soul 
shall  be  mine." 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  n 

"It  shall  be  mine,"  echoed  Bad 
Influence,  and  he  darted  faster  towards 
the  place  where  the  new-born  soul 
lived;  but  he  was  not  any  quicker  than 
Good  Influence,  who  followed  so  swiftly 
that  it  would  have  been  hard  to  tell 
which  one  reached  the  soul  first. 

Meanwhile  the  new-born  soul,  all 
unconscious  of  what  these  two  powerful 
beings  from  other  worlds  were  going 
to  do,  lay  sleeping  in  a  cradle  in 
all  the  pure  innocence  and  harmless- 
ness  of  guiltless  babyhood.  It  did  not 
yet  know  the  meaning  of  those  great 
words,  ' '  right "  and  ' '  wrong, "  ' '  good  " 
and  "bad,"  "holy"  and  "evil," 
"pure"  and  "impure."  It  lay  there 
without  any  knowledge  of  life  as  it  was 
to  be.  All  that  it  existed  for  was  to 
eat,  to  sleep,  and  to  play;  an  animal  as 
yet,  with  no  care,  no  responsibility,  no 


i2  ONE    OP    THE    TWO 

selfishness,  no  sorrow  for  sin,  no  tri- 
umphing over  passion.  Ah,  little  soul, 
how  tender  and  heavenly  seems  thy 
peaceful  sleep  now  !  Nearest  approach 
to  anything  divine  in  this  wicked  world, 
a  new-born  soul !  Can  we  ever  out- 
grow the  feeling  of  awe  which  creeps 
over  us  at  the  mystery  of  human  birth, 
at  the  thought  of  the  tremendous  con- 
flict so  soon  to  begin  on  the  part  of 
what  now  looks  like  a  fleshly  blossom, 
which  we  would  wish  might  be  kept 
fair  and  unstained  forever?  But  the 
Creator  has  not  willed  it  so.  Sleep 
on,  beautiful  soul,  innocence  incar- 
nate, thy  waking  shall  find  sterner, 
harder  facts  of  life  than  the  soft  pillow 
on  which  thy  head  now  slumbers !  The 
Angel  and  the  Demon  never  sleep. 
Which  one  shall  claim  thee  for  its  own 
twenty-one  years  from  now  ?  " 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  13 

In  the  contest  which  was  now  to 
occur  it  was  intensely  interesting  to 
see  how  Good  Influence  and  Bad  Influ- 
ence went  to  work  to  win  this  soul,  each 
for  his  own  master.  Good  Influence 
bought  the  most  attractive  house  in 
town,  fitting  it  up  in  the  most  exquisite 
taste,  and  lighting  it  with  the  most 
attractive  and  glowing  lamps  of  beauty. 
Then  he  sat  down  and  laid  out  the  fol- 
lowing campaign  to  be  followed  for  the 
next  twenty-one  years: 


THE  ANGEL'S  PLAN 

To  win  this  soul  I  must  spare  neither 
time  nor  expense.  I  must  be 
always  present  in  emergencies,  in 
turning-points  of  life,  in  time  of 
hardship  and  discouragement. 


i4  ONE    OP    THE    TWO 

2.  I  must  make   a  personal  friend  of 

this  soul.  I  cannot  expect  to  win 
it  unless  I  love  it. 

3.  I  must  have  faith  in  my  Master  and 

in  his  power,  even  when  Bad  Influ- 
ence seems  to  be  getting  the 
better. 

4.  I  must  make  my  acquaintance  with 

this  soul  in  childhood  in  order  to 
win  its  friendship  in  youth. 

5.  I  must  guard  against  the  devices  of 

Bad  Influence  by  every  means  in 
my  power.  I  must  never  sleep  on 
my  post.  I  must  keep  up  with 
the  times  in  order  to  win  this  soul. 

6.  Everything  in   my  possession  must 

be  made  as  free  and  easy  of 
access  as  possible  to  this  soul.  I 
must  not  make  it  too  hard  nor  too 
costly  a  thing  for  the  soul  to  get 
acquainted  with  me. 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  15 

7.  I  must  make  the  one  business  of  the 
next  twenty-one  years  the  winning 
of  this  soul.  Nothing  else  shall 
get  between  me  and  that  result. 
Either  I  shall  accomplish  what  I 
undertake  or  I  shall  rest  satisfied 
that  Bad  Influence  has  more  at 
his  disposal  with  which  to  win  a 
soul  than  I  have. 

That  was  the  Angel's  plan.  The 
Demon,  for  his  part,  bought  a  very 
attractive-looking  house — on  the  out- 
side— and  he  furnished  it  elegantly, 
but  wickedly.  Everything  that  could 
debauch  and  destroy  purity  and 
strength  were  to  be  found  within  those 
walls.  Then,  after  he  had  finished  all 
to  his  satisfaction,  he  likewise  sat 
down  and  made  out  the  following  plan 
of  campaign  for  the  next  twenty-one 
years : 


16  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

THE  DEMON'S  PLAN 

1.  To  win  this  soul  it  is  very  evident 

that  I  must  know  it.  To  do  that 
I  shall  make  an  exhaustive  study 
of  its  parentage,  its  home  sur- 
roundings, its  weaknesses,  inher- 
ited and  otherwise,  and  know  in 
detail  every  personal  habit. 

2.  I   must  make  it  seem  to  this  soul 

that  I  have  a  great  fondness  for 
it.  In  reality,  of  course,  I  do  not 
care  anything  about  it,  but  flattery 
and  good  fellowship  will  pass  very 
often  for  esteem  and  friendship. 

3.  I    shall    spare    no   expense   in  the 

manner  of  winning  this  soul. 
Everything  which  money  can  buy 
or  luxury  invent  shall  be  freely  at 
the  disposal  of  this  soul  from  the 
very  beginning. 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  17 

4.  I    must  use  my  art   every  day   in 

the  week  to  win  the  soul ;  there 
must  be  no  breathing-places,  no 
vacations.  I  must  be  always 
ready  to  take  advantage  of  Good 
Influence  in  this  way. 

5.  The    sooner    I    begin    to    acquire 

power  over  the  soul  the  better. 
The  child  will  be  more  easily 
moulded  than  the  man. 

6.  I  shall  call  to  my  assistance  all  the 

other  souls  in  this  town.  That 
will  be  an  easy  matter  with  many 
of  them. 

7.  I    must    make    the    one    absorbing 

object  of  the  next  twenty-one 
years  the  winning  of  this  soul.  I 
shall  turn  aside  for  nothing.  I 
shall  not  be  discouraged.  I  shall 
fight  Good  Influence  to  the  death. 
I  am  determined  to  win  this  soul 


i8  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

for  my  Master.  To  do  it  I  shall 
work  miracles  and  do  battle  with 
the  Almighty  Himself.  I  will  do 
what  I  purpose  or  be  annihilated 
in  the  endeavor. 

You  see,  the  two  plans  are  much  alike 
in  their  general  outline ;  but  notice,  now, 
how  the  two  went  to  work  to  accom- 
plish their  ends. 

While  the  new-born  soul  was  sleep- 
ing, not  yet  able  to  understand  what 
was  coming  or  what  desperate  meas- 
ures had  been  taken  for  its  destruction 
and  preservation,  Good  Influence  went 
out  and  canvassed  the  town  for  help. 
He  found  a  number  of  persons  of  his 
own  way  of  thinking.  He  told  them 
the  story  of  his  coming  and  showed  how 
a  new-born  soul  was  at  stake  in  the  mat- 
ter. As  a  result  o.f  his  canvassing,  he 
succeeded  in  getting  three  institutious 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  19 

started,  a  Church,  a  Home,  and  a 
Schoolhouse.  These  three  institutions 
stood  in  the  Angel's  sight  for  what  the 
soul  would  need  when  it  grew  up,  and 
he  smiled  when  he  looked  at  the 
church  spire,  as  he  heard  the  school 
bell,  and  as  he  looked  in  upon  the 
family  seated  about  a  center  table, 
reading,  writing  and  enjoying  health- 
ful sports.  He  said  to  himself,  with  a 
smile,  ' '  I  have  begun  well. " 

But  all  this  time  Bad  Influence  was 
wide  awake.  He  also  made  a  canvass 
of  the  town  and  started  several  places 
where  liquor  could  be  bought;  he 
trained  several  men  and  boys  to  swear 
and  tell  low  stories  about  the  street- 
corners  and  in  other  places;  he  laid  in  an 
extra  large  quantity  of  vile  tobacco  and 
bad  pictures  to  be  used  when  the  new- 
born soul  was  old  enough  to  be  invited 


3o  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

to  his  house,  and  he  succeeded  in  get- 
ting a  large  number  of  trashy  books 
and  papers  into  town  and  made  a  good 
start  with  several  mottoes  which  he 
had  printed  and  scattered  about, 
among  them  the  following: 

"Money  is  the  only  thing  worth  getting. " 
"The  Church  is  a  den  of  hypocrites." 
' '  Look  out  f  or.  No.  i  and  you  will  succeed. ' ' 
"There  is  no   God,    no  future,    and  no 

punishment  for  wrong-doing. ' ' 

"Take  life  easy  and  get  all  you  can  out 

of  your  neighbor.      That  is  the  only  true 

philosophy. ' ' 

After  putting  one  of  these  mottoes 
into  every  front  dooryard  and  dropping 
one  at  every  street-corner,  Bad  Influ- 
ence glanced  up  at  the  church  steeple 
with  a  sneer  and  said :  ' '  I  think  I  have 
spiked  that  gun  pretty  well.  Ah,  new- 
born soul,  thou  art  mine  fast  enough!" 


PART  II 

During  the  next  few  years,  while  the 
new-born  soul  was  slowly  awaking  to 
a  knowledge  of  good  and  bad,  these 
two  beings,  Good  Influence  and  Bad 
Influence,  were  getting  ready  for  the 
time  when  they  could  approach  the  soul 
and  win  it. 

When  Good  Influence  helped  to 
start  a  revival,  Bad  Influence  waited 
until  it  was  over  and  then  made  fun  of 
it  and  called  the  church  a  nuisance  for 
having  so  many  meetings. 

When  the  Angel  bought  a  good  book 
and  gave  it  to  somebody,  the  Demon 
laid  in  a  stock  of  cheap  Sunday  news- 
papers and  gave  them  away.  If  one 
encouraged  some  enterprise  for  build- 


21 


22  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

ing  up  the  town  socially  or  morally, 
the  other  discouraged  it  on  the  score 
of  wasteful,  needless  expense.  Good 
Influence  once  built  at  his  own  charges 
a  beautiful  public  building  called  a 
"Weekly  Prayer  Meeting,"  and  Bad 
Influence  went  to  work  in  the  night 
and  undermined  the  walls  with  the 
help,  strange  as  it  may  seem,  of  some 
of  the  church  people,  so  that  the  insti- 
tution was  seriously  damaged  and  is 
not  fully  repaired  even  to  this  day. 
In  spite  of  all  this,  Good  Influence 
never  lost  heart,  or,  if  he  did,  he  kept 
right  on  in  his  determination  to  win 
the  soul  now  so  fast  growing  into  the 
knowledge  of  the  moral  universe. 

In  like  manner  Bad  Influence,  often 
seriously  thwarted  in  his  plans,  never 
seemed  to  lose  hope,  but  waited  pa- 
tiently for  the  most  fitting  opportunity 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  23 

to  make  the  personal  acquaintance  of 
the  soul  now  grown  into  a  youth. 

Now,  as  it  happened,  Good  Influence 
was  fortunate  enough  to  seize  the  first 
opportunity  of  getting  acquainted  with 
the  soul  it  had  come  to  win.  Bad 
Influence  never  went  out  of  town,  but 
one  day  he  was  laid  up  with  a  disgust- 
ing sickness  on  account  of  two  remark- 
able conversions  which  had  occurred  in 
the  next  house  to  his  own.  It  is  no 
wonder  that  Bad  Influence  had  to  go 
to  bed,  because  one  of  these  con- 
verted persons  was  a  confirmed  drunk- 
ard and  the  other  was  a  pronounced 
infidel.  So  while  Bad  Influence  was 
groaning  at  home,  Good  Influence  went 
out  and  found  the  soul  alone  and 
boldly  walked  up  to  it  and  introduced 
himself. 

1 '  You  may  not  know  me  by  name, 


24  ONE    OP   THE    TWO 

but  I  have  a  life  interest  in  you  and 
have  been  waiting  these  years  to  make 
myself  known  to  you.  I  have  come  a 
long  distance  to  get  acquainted  with 
you,  Soul." 

' '  Have  you  ?     How  far  ?  " 

"All  the  way  from  Heaven.  My 
King  sent  me  to  help  you  grow  up  in 
strength  and  purity.  I  have  watched 
your  life  so  far  with  the  greatest 
interest. " 

"  Is  that  so!  "  exclaimed  the  Soul  in 
astonishment.  ' '  Why,  what  difference 
does  it  make  to  you  how  I  grow  up  or 
live?" 

' '  It  makes  more  difference  than  you 
can  ever  know,"  said  the  Angel,  ear- 
nestly. ' '  So  far,  I  am  quite  sure  you 
have  been  influenced  to  very  much  that 
is  right  and  true.  The  church  and  the 
home  and  the  schoolhouse  have  all  had 


ONE    OF   THE    TWO  25 

their  place  in  your  thoughts  and  I 
started  those  influences,  all  unknown  to 
you,  when  you  were  a  helpless  baby. 
But  it  is  beginning  to  be  different  now- 
There  are  times,  I  feel  quite  sure, 
when  you  want  to  break  away  from 
these  three  influences.  You  are  begin- 
ning to  feel  a  little  ashamed  of  going  to 
Sunday-school.  You  are  accustomed 
to  say  to  yourself:  'It  is  a  place  for 
girls  and  little  children. '  But  why  do 
I  speak  of  this  ?  I  do  not  wish  to  find 
occasion  for  blame  in  this,  my  first  talk 
with  you.  I  came  particularly  to-day 
to  invite  you  to  visit  me  at  my  home. 
Will  you?  " 

"What  for?" 

' '  To  get  better  acquainted  with  me, " 
said  the  Angel,  with  a  smile  so  bright 
and  winning  that  the  Soul  said  at  once : 
'  'All  right !  I'll  come.  When  ?  " 


26  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

' '  Now, "  replied  Good  Influence. 
' '  No  time  like  the  everlasting  now. " 

So  they  went  along  together  and 
Good  Influence  rejoiced  greatly  that 
he  had  the  start  of  Bad  Influence.  He 
led  his  guest  into  his  house  and  feasted 
him  royally.  Then  they  strolled  about 
the  grounds  and  the  soul  was  amazed 
at  the  extent  and  variety  of  his  new 
friend's  possessions.  In  the  house,  the 
library  proved  to  be  the  best  and  most 
useful  that  money  could  buy,  but  the 
Soul  noticed  one  book  which  was  dupli- 
cated a  hundred  times  and  was  to  be 
found  in  every  room  and  on  every 
table.  The  name  of  this  book  was 
"Holy  Bible,"  and  the  Soul  asked: 
1 '  Why  do  you  keep  so  many  Bibles  in 
your  house?  " 

"Because,"  replied  Good  Influence, 
'  'no  other  book  contains  so  much  wis- 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  27 

dom,  so  much  comfort  and  so  much 
revelation.  I  keep  a  large  number  of 
copies  to  give  away.  It  is  the  best  gift 
I  can  make  you.  I  pray  you  to  take  a 
copy.  It  will  be  '  a  light  to  your  feet 
and  a  lamp  to  your  path.'  I  have  re- 
served the  finest  copy  in  the  house  for 
you.  Take  it  and  read  it  for  your 
life." 

The  Soul  took  the  Bible  and  promised 
to  read  it.  After  a  little  longer  visit 
with  Good  Influence  it  rose  to  go. 

1 '  Promise  me  one  thing, "  said  Good 
Influence,  "that  you  will  come  again 
to-morrow.  I  have  not  shown  you  half 
nor  a  quarter  of  the  things  of  interest 
and  use  in  and  about  the  house." 

1 '  I  promise, "  said  the  Soul. 

1 '  One  more  word, "  said  the  Angel, 
following  his  guest  to  the  door.  ' '  Let 
me  warn  you  of  a  being  called  Bad 


a8          ONE   OF   THE    TWO 

Influence  who  will  do  his  best  to  harm 
you  in  every  way.  Have  nothing  to 
do  with  him  in  any  case.  He  will  only 
be  a  curse  to  you  in  everything. 
Above  all,  if  you  meet  him,  do  not  let 
him  get  your  Bible.  Hold  on  to  that 
and  you  will  be  all  right.  But  the 
minute  you  let  go  of  that  or  he  suc- 
ceeds in  cheating  you  out  of  it,  you  will 
be  in  his  power.  Believe  me,  I  say  all 
this  for  your  good.  Don't  you  believe 
it?" 

"Indeed,  I  do,"  replied  the  Soul, 
moved  by  the  earnestness  and  affection 
with  which  the  Angel  spoke. 

"And  you  will  come  again  to-mor- 
row?" continued  Good  Influence,  with 

winsome  look. 

' '  You  have  treated  me  so  generously 
I  must  come  again,  if  it  were  only  to 
thank  you, "  replied  the'Soul,  also  with  a 


ONE    OF   THE    TWO  29 

smile,  and  so  it  went  its  way.  And  as 
for  Good  Influence,  he  put  down  in 
a  book  which  he  carried  for  the  pur- 
pose these  words :  "A  good  day's 
work.  Surely  this  soul  shall  be  mine 
if  I  have  but  patience. " 


PART  III 

Now  Bad  Influence  was  not  so  des- 
perately sick  but  that  he  could  limp  to 
the  window,  and  it  chanced  that,  just 
as  he  was  looking  out,  he  caught  sight 
of  the  Soul  coming  away  from  the  resi- 
dence of  Good  Influence,  for  the  two 
houses  were  less  than  a  block  apart. 
Then  the  Demon  grew  quite  mad  with 
rage  as  he  saw  the  high  and  noble  look 
on  the  Soul's  face  and  realized  that  it 
had  been  in  the  house  of  Good  In- 
fluence long  enough  to  get  a  look  very 
much  better  than  usual.  He  was  so 
much  enraged  to  think  that  the  Angel 
had  the  start  of  him  that  he  came 
very  near  rushing  out  as  he  was 

and    inviting    the    soul    to    come    to 
30 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  31 

see  him.  But  on  second  thought  (for 
he  was  a  very  cunning  old  fellow)  he 
decided  not  to  go  out  without  first  put- 
ting on  one  of  his  disguises.  So  he 
pulled  out  of  a  closet  where  he  kept 
such  things,  a  suit,  that  he  hurriedly 
put  on,  and  which  made  him  look  like 
a  handsome  young  man  instead  of 
what  he  actually  was,  an  ugly  old 
being  several  thousand  years  old. 
Going  downstairs,  for  by  this  time  he 
had  quite  recovered  from  his  sickness, 
he  opened  the  front  door  and  stepped 
out  just  as  the  Soul  was  going  by. 

"A  fine  day,"  said  Bad  Influence, 
boldly.  ' '  I  see  you  have  been  calling 
on  my  neighbor  yonder.  Trust  you 
had  a  pleasant  visit." 

' '  I  did,  most  certainly, "  answered 
the  Soul.  ' '  I  was  never  better  enter- 
tained in  all  my  life." 


32  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

"What  sort  of  a  house  has  he?" 
asked  the  Demon,  concealing  a  sneer 
under  a  smile. 

"A  handsome  house,  beautifully  fur- 
nished. I  am  going  again  to-morrow. 
I  did  not  have  time  to  see  half  the 
wonderful  things  there." 

1 '  The  owner  of  the  house  is  a  pleas- 
ant person?  " 

1 '  Delightful !  Besides  he  is  very  gen- 
erous. He  gave  me  this  book,"  and 
the  Soul  showed  the  Bible  Good  Influ- 
ence had  given  him. 

1  'A  handsome  book, "  said  Bad  Influ- 
ence, hypocritically.  ' '  But  I  have 
several  books  more  readable  than  that. 
I  should  be  pleased  to  have  you  step 
in  some  time  and  look  at  my  library. 
You  have  never  called  on  me  yet. 
Won't  you  come  in  now  ?  I  was  just 
going  for  a  walk,  -but  it  will  give  me 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  33 

much  pleasure  to  show  you  over  the 
house  and  grounds.  It  is  a  long  time 
since  I  have  seen  a  face  to  which  I  feel 
drawn  as  I  do  to  yours.  Come,  let  us 
go  in  and  get  better  acquainted  with 
each  other." 

"Who  are  you?"  asked  the  Soul,  a 
little  uneasily,  for  he  thought  he  had 
caught  a  glimpse  of  something  very 
frightful  under  the  speaker's  tall  hat — 
for  it  is  one  of  the  truest  facts  that 
the  devil's  disguises  are  never  quite 
perfect. 

"Why,   my  name  is  Influence,"  re-/ 
plied  the  Demon,  telling  half  the  truth, 
"and  a  good   name  it  is,   too.      But 
come   in  and    get    better    acquainted 
with  me  and  we  shall  be  good  friends. " 

At  this  point  a  strain  of  music  was 
heard  from  the  house  and  the  front 
door  swung  open  as  if  by  chance,  but 


34  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

really  at  a  secret  sign  given  by  Bad 
Influence  to  one  of  the  servants  within, 
and  disclosed  a  handsome-looking  stair- 
case and,  beyond,  through  another  open 
door  at  the  end  of  the  hall,  a  garden 
filled  with  tropical  plants  and  fruits. 

Then  the  Soul  followed  its  new  friend 
up  the  steps  and  into  the  house  and 
the  door  closed  behind  them.  Just  as 
they  were  going  in,  Good  Influence, 
who  had  hardly  finished  writing  the 
words  of  his  journal,  looked  out  of  his 
window  and  saw  the  Soul  going  into 
the  other  house.  And  he  sat  down 
and  wept  bitterly,  until  he  happened 
to  think;  "Oh,  but  he  had  the  Bible 
with  him  in  his  hand!  If  he  keeps 
that  he  will  not  come  to  harm!"  Never- 
theless, he  watched  anxiously  for  the 
Soul  to  come  out  again. 

Meanwhile,  Bad   Influence  and  the 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  35 

Soul  advanced  into  the  house.  And 
the  Soul  gradually  laid  aside  the  sus- 
picion it  had  had  and  began  to  look 
about  and  admire  and  wonder  at  the 
things  it  saw  in  the  house. 

Now,  Bad  Influence  had  fitted  up  his 
house  cunningly  for  the  special  purpose 
of  winning  the  Soul  by  degrees.  There 
were  certain  rooms  where  he  would  no 
more  have  dared  to  take  the  Soul  on 
its  first  visit  than  he  would  have  dared 
to  murder  it  on  the  open  street.  There 
were  rooms  known  as  Murder,  Drunken- 
ness, Blasphemy,  Licentiousness  and 
Cruelty,  which,  if  the  Soul  had  seen  on 
this,  its  first  visit,  would  have  frightened 
it  away  forever.  Knowing  this  very 
well,  the  Demon  led  his  guest  into  a 
room  called  Physical  Temptations,  out 
of  which  opened  another  large  room 
called  Freedom  from  Religious  Re- 


36  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

straints,  and  that  yet  again  into  a  cor- 
ridor known  as  The  Way  of  Death. 

Sitting  down  in  the  room  of  Physical 
Temptations,  Bad  Influence  called  in  a 
servant  with  liquor  and  cigars. 

' '  I  have  never  used  these  things, " 
said  the  Soul,  shrinking  back  a  little. 
' '  I  think  I  would  rather  not. " 

'  'Won't  hurt  you  any  when  you  get 
used  to  it, "  replied  Bad  Influence,  light- 
ing a  cigar  and  pouring  out  a  glass  of 
wine  that  sparkled  like  fire.  "Try 
them." 

Now,  the  Soul  still  held  the  Bible  in 
its  right  hand.  But  as  Bad  Influence 
held  out  a  cigar  and  a  glass  of  wine, 
the  Soul  laid  the  Bible  down  upon  the 
table  to  take  the  other  things,  at  which 
Bad  Influence  laughed  so  loud  that 
the  Soul  was  frightened  and  cried  out: 
"Why  do  you  laugh?" 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  37 

'  'To  think  how  long  you  have  carried 
that  stupid  book  in  your  hand.  Let 
me  show  you  something  more  enter- 
taining," and,  rising,  the  Demon  took 
from  the  bookshelf  a  large  book  bound 
very  expensively  and  curiously — for 
the  covers  were  made  of  ruined  human 
bodies  and  the  leaves  were  pasted  in 
with  a  preparation  compounded  from 
tears  and  sighs  and  remorse  and 
misery  and  guilt  many  years  old.  The 
Soul  shuddered  as  it  touched  this  volume 
for  the  first  time;  but,  opening  it,  was 
soon  absorbed  in  looking  at  the  scenes 
there  depicted. 

The  title  of  the  book  which  the  Soul 
did  not  see,  because  it  was  only  dimly 
visible  on  the  back,  was :  ' '  Vile  Imag- 
inations and  Impure  Deeds." 

Meanwhile,  under  cover  of  the  smoke 
which  was  fast  filling  the  room,  Bad 


38  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

Influence  quietly  slipped  the  Bible  off 
the  table  upon  the  floor,  where  the 
Soul  could  not  find  it.  But  a  soft, 
clear  light  fell  from  the  volume  even 
there,  so  noticeable  that,  finally,  when 
the  Soul  was  busy  with  the  new  book, 
the  Demon  whispered  to  the  servant  to 
take  the  Bible  out  of  the  room,  and 
Bad  Influence  breathed  easier  when  it 
was  gone. 

Suddenly  the  Soul  started  up  and 
exclaimed:  "  I  must  be  going!  " 

"What?  Not  yet!  We  have  only 
just  begun  to  get  acquainted!  " 

' '  Nevertheless,  I  must  go.  I  prom- 
ised them  at  home  to  be  back  at  such 
a  time,  and  see,  it  is  after  the  hour!" 

"Oh,  well,  you  can  make  some  ex- 
cuse. Tell  them  you  fell  asleep  some- 
where. " 

' '  But  I  have  never  lied  to  them  at 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO 


39 


home  yet ! "  cried  the  Soul  in  anguish. 

' '  That  wouldn't  be  lying.  It  would 
only  be  a  polite  explanation  to  save 
you  disagreeable  questions,"  said  Bad 
Influence. 

Then  the  Soul  arose  and  looked  more 
keenly  at  its  host,  and  through  the 
disguise  it  caught  something  of  the 
form  of  the  real  being  he  was. 

"Where  is  my  Bible?"  cried  the 
Soul,  looking  for  it  where  it  had  lain  on 
the  table. 

"Ah,  my  servant  must  have  put  it 
on  the  shelf,  thinking  it  was  mine.  I 
will  look  for  it."  And  the  Demon 
arose  and  pretended  to  look  for  it, 
while  the  Soul,  more  and  more  dis- 
turbed, glanced  wildly  around  and  saw 
many  horrible  things  which  at  first  had 
seemed  very  different. 

"I  cannot  find  it, "  said  the  Demon 


40  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

at  last,  ' '  but  you  may  have  this  expen- 
sive volume  in  the  place  of  it."  And 
he  pointed  at  the  book  the  Soul  had 
been  looking  at. 

"No!  No!  Not  that!"  cried  the 
Soul,  blushing  and  covering  his  face 
with  his  hands.  Then,  after  a  mo- 
ment, he  raised  his  head  and  looking 
about  in  a  dazed  way,  rushed  out 
of  the  room;  into  the  hall  and  out 
of  the  door  without  another  word. 
Bad  Influence,  peering  out  of  the  win- 
dow as  the  Soul  hurried  down  the  steps, 
smiled  with  satisfaction  and  said  with 
an  oath,  ' '  He  will  come  again !  "  and 
he  wrote  in  a  book  which  he  kept  for 
the  purpose :  "A  good  day's  work.  I 
have  taught  the  Soul  to  drink  and  poi- 
soned his  thoughts  with  evil  and  begun 
to  ruin  his  body.  Let  Good  Influence 
repair  the  damage  if  he  can. " 


ONE    OP    THE    TWO  4t 

And  Good  Influence,  still  keeping 
watch  at  his  window,  saw  the  Soul 
coming  out  and  exclaimed  sorrowfully: 

"Alas!  the  Bible  is  gone,  and  how 
changed  his  once  fair  and  innocent 
face!  What  can  I  do  to  repair  the 
damage  Bad  Influence  has  done?  Let 
me  think!  Let  me  think!  This  soul 
must  be  mine!  I  will  not  let  it  go! 
Gentle  Master,  teach  me  wisdom  and 
strength  for  the  next  few  years. " 


PART  IV 

The  Angel  kneeled  and  prayed  a 
long  time ;  and  finally,  so  strong  was  his 
agony  for  this  soul  now  in  peril  of  its 
immortal  life,  that  he  decided  to  return 
for  a  brief  time  to  his  Master  to  seek 
by  personal  touch  the  wisdom  he  felt 
the  need  of  in  his  further  battle  against 
the  Angel  of  Darkness. 

And  the  Demon  likewise,  moved  by  a 
similar  impulse,  not  knowing  the  Angel's 
purpose,  decided  to  return  for  a  swift 
visit  to  the  master  of  that  realm  of  evil, 
in  order  to  counsel  with  him,  and  learn 
more  arts  to  employ  for  the  destruction 
of  this  life  already  being  influenced 
toward  the  Way  of  Death. 

All  Heaven's  wisest  and  best  gath- 
42 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  43 

ered  to  greet  the  Angel  and  to  hear 
his  story.  With  breathless  interest 
they  listened  to  tlje  Angel  as  he 
told  of  his  struggle  with  the  Demon. 
When  he  was  through  there  was  the 
most  profound  desire  on  the  part  of  all 
to  help  the  Angel  in  his  effort  when 
he  should  return  to  renew  the  conflict. 

"Tell  me,  now!"  he  cried  as  he 
stretched  out  his  hands  to  Him  who 
sat  on  the  throne  as  King,  "tell  me, 
my  Master,  what  is  the  greatest  influ- 
ence I  can  use  to  win  this  soul  ?" 

Then  He  answered,  He  who  sat  on 
the  throne:  "There  is  no  influence 
equal  to  love.  The  ages  cannot  dim  it, 
and  the  Demon  cannot  kill  it.  Go  ! 
Surround  the  soul  by  every  influence 
that  has  at  the  heart  of  it  the  love 
which  lifts  up  and  glorifies  and  makes 
noble.  The  love  which  sacrifices  and 


44  ONE    OP    THE    TWO 

the  love  which  shares.  The  love  which 
makes  selfishness  mean  and  pride  ig- 
noble. The  love  which  shapes  man- 
hood into  highest  development  and 
brings  to  daily  growth  of  all  the  pow- 
ers the  greatest  joy.  Go !  Bring  to 
bear  the  Love  which  is  the  strongest 
lever  known  even  to  God,  to  save  an 
immortal  soul." 

Then  the  Angel  humbled  himself 
before  all  Heaven  and  asked  if  he  was 
worthy.  But  his  Lord  smiled  and 
bade  him  rise,  for  he  had  proved  his 
fitness  by  asking  the  question,  and  with 
all  Heaven  singing  a  song  of  coming 
victory  to  cheer  him  on,  he  hastened 
back  to  earth,  bearing  the  exaltation  of 
Love's  strength  on  his  Angel's  pinions. 

But  meanwhile  the  Demon  had  con- 
fronted his  lord  and  asked  the  same 
question. 


ONE    OP    THE    TWO  45 

' '  Tell  me  !  What  is  the  greatest 
influence  I  can  bring  to  bear  on  this 
soul  now  to  win  it  ?  " 

Then  he  who  sat  on  that  throne  of 
evil,  surrounded  by  all  of  those  who 
were  like  him,  answered  : 

' '  There  is  no  greater  influence  than 
Hate.  Go,  teach  the  soul  to  hate  the 
things  that  carry  crosses  with  them. 
Teach  him  to  fear  the  things  that  call 
for  self-denial,  because  they  are  irk- 
some. Teach  him  to  hate  duty  and 
prayer  and  the  restraints  of  home  that 
interfere  with  his  freedom.  Surround 
him  with  those  who  scoff  at  the  hypo- 
crites in  the  church,  but  who  never  see 
the  true  disciples  there.  Teach  him  to 
learn  the  easy  lesson  of  scorn  for  right 
and  contempt  for  purity.  Let  him 
learn  that  the  lever  which  moves  the 
earth  is  love  of  money  and  selfishness 


46  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

in  its  accumulation.  Make  him  to 
feel  the  ease  of  doing  evil  compared 
with  the  hardship  of  doing  good.  Go  ! 
Instill  the  principle  of  Hate  into  this 
soul  and  win  it  for  us  !" 

And  the  Demon  cried  aloud  in  the 
pride  of  his  exultation  at  the  thought 
of  coming  victory :  ' '  Yea !  Even  so, 
will  I  compass  the  soul  of  this  im- 
mortal being  on  earth ! "  And  he 
hastened  as  before  to  the  earth  and 
to  the  spot  where  the  soul  had  its 
abiding-place. 

Now,  it  chanced  that  on  their  return, 
as  before,  the  Angel  and  the  Demon 
fell  in  with  each  other. 

"Where  art  thou  going?  "  called  out 
the  Demon. 

1 '  Back  to  my  beloved  soul  on  earth, " 
answered  the  Angel.  "Bearing  to 
him  the  Love  which  all  hell  cannot 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  47 

destroy.  And  with  it  I  shall  at  last 
win  him." 

"Ah!  In  that  thou  art  deceived," 
cried  the  Demon,  derisively.  ' '  I  bear 
back  with  me  a  greater  influence  than 
thine."  He  spread  his  wings  wide  and 
disclosed  the  dreadful  figure  of  Hate 
which  seemed  to  the  Angel  to  breathe 
as  the  Demon  breathed,  and  move  as 
he  moved. 

And  the  Angel  made  no  more  reply, 
but  the  splendor  of  Love's  effulgence 
radiated  from  his  wings  as  he  urged 
them  towards  earth.  Swift  to  follow 
came  the  Demon  and,  together,  they 
again  reached  the  place  of  the  Soul's 
abode. 

Now  the  Soul  had  been  agitated  since 
the  departure  of  the  Angel  and  the 
Demon  concerning  the  next  impulse 
that  seemed  to  be  moving  within  him. 


48  ONEOFTHE    TWO 

He  was  drawn  by  the  Angel's  win- 
someness  to  go  and  see  him  again,  but 
he  was  enticed  by  the  Demon's  enter- 
tainment to  visit  him  also. 

He  awoke  to  a  beautiful  day  and 
started  in  the  direction  of  the  two 
houses. 

At  the  end  of  his  path  the  way 
divided,  and  when  he  reached  the  part- 
ing of  the  ways  he  paused,  trembling. 

All  Heaven  above  looked  on,  yearn- 
ing for  his  choice  of  the  path  which  led 
to  the  Angel's  house.  All  Hell  beneath 
gazed  at  him,  cursing  his  hesitation. 

At  this  moment  the  Angel  appeared 
at  his  door  and  beckoned.  In  the 
same  instant  the  Demon  was  seen  on 
his  threshold  reaching  out  his  hand. 
The  Angel's  face  had  never  looked  so 
beautiful ;  the  Demon's  countenance 
had  never  seemed  so  alluring. 


ONE    OF    THE    TWO  49 

Still  he  hesitated.  He  was  at  the 
entrance  of  young  life.  Still  was  he 
clay  to  be  moulded,  yet  was  he  at 
that  warm-vital  period  when  either 
Death  or  Life  might  either  say,  « '  He 
is  mine ! "  when  either  Love  or  Hate 
might  say,  "Let  him  alone!  He  is 
forme!" 

And  he,  as  he  stands  there,  is  my 
own  son,  my  own  friend,  my  own 
brother,  somewhere  in  the  world.  Shall 
Love  win  him,  or  Hate  enslave  him? 
Shall  the  Angel  bear  him  on  trium- 
phant pinions  to  Heaven  or  shall  the 
Demon  snatch  him  away  to  add  one 
more  to  Hell's  populace?  For  the 
eternal  struggle  between  Love  and  Hate 
goes  on  as  the  earth  rolls  round  the 
sun,  and  whether  one  or  the  other  wins 
at  last  may  depend  upon  my  conduct, 
upon  my  influence,  upon  my  character; 


5o  ONE    OF    THE    TWO 

for  I  myself  am  either  the  Angel  of 
Love  or  the  Demon  of  Hate  to  some 
new-born  soul  of  humanity.  I  myself 
am  one  of  the  two. 


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ONE  OF  THE  Two 

^CHARLES  M.SHELDON 
^  °W  HIS  STEPS1* 


Univers 

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